Matthew 19:16: “Now behold, one came and said to Him, ‘Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?’ 17 So He said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ 18 He said to Him, ‘Which ones?’ Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 19 Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'’ 20 The young man said to Him, ‘All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?’ 21 Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”
One of the greatest temptations in the lives of the 21st century Christian is the gross desire for “mo’ money.” The desire I’m talking about isn’t one of having enough to have our needs met but of living the lavish lifestyles of the rich and famous. Jesus taught that it was difficult for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God. (Matthew 19:24; Mark 10:25) Ever wondered why? It’s simple—money has a way of causing an individual to become more dependant upon their riches than they do God. Please don’t get me wrong. There are Christians who love The Lord with all their hearts and are filthy rich! But those believers look to God as their Source and use their finances to fund the Kingdom.
The Bible records a young man whose riches were more important to him than following Jesus. The young man came to Jesus desiring to know what he needed to do in order to inherit eternal life. (Matthew 19:16) When Jesus listed six of the Ten Commandments, he replied that he’d kept them all from his youth! (Matthew 19:20) The gentleman was spiritually blind and he thought that he’d reached a level of spiritual maturity that he really hadn’t. While he may or may not have kept some of the six commandments, the whole purpose of The Law was for man to realize his need for God’s Salvation, Grace, and Mercy offered only through Jesus. (Galatians 3:24) The Contemporary English Version of James 2:10 says, “If you obey every law except one, you are still guilty of breaking them all.” The Lord tested the man’s spirituality by saying to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." Although He doesn’t say it specifically, Jesus was proving to the gentleman that he couldn’t keep the 1st of The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3- “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”) thus disqualifying him for being able to keep the rest. His inability to obey God by giving up his possessions proved that his love for his money was greater than his commitment and his love for God.
The story is told of a plantation slave in the old South who was always happy and singing. No matter what happened to him, his joy was always abounding. One day his master asked him, "What have you got that makes you so happy?" The slave replied, "I love the Lord Jesus Christ. He has forgiven my sin and put a song in my heart." "Well, how do I get what you have?" his master asked. The slave told him, "You go and put on your best Sunday suit and you come down here and work in the mud with us and you can have it." "I would never do that," the owner retorted indignantly as he rode off in a huff. Some weeks later, the master asked the same question and was given the same answer. A few weeks later, he came a third time and said, "Now be straight with me. What do I have to do to have what you have?" "Just what I’ve told you the other times," came the answer. In desperation, the owner said, "All right, I’ll do it." "Now you don’t have to do it," the slave said. "You only had to be willing." In closing, God wants us to be prosperous; some argue that He wants us wealthy. However, He doesn’t want us to place our money or anything else before Him.
Let’s Pray: “Father, help us to NEVER put anything or anyone before You. We pray that we’ll chase after You and what You want done in our lives, in Jesus’ Name, amen.”
Let’s Confess God’s Word Today (and every day):
Father,
I thank You for making me the head and not the tail
Above only and not beneath
The lender and not the borrower
The conqueror and not the conquered
I thank You for giving me all things that pertain unto life and godliness
And for delivering my life from death and destruction
So that I shall live and not die to declare your works
I thank You that no sickness shall live in my body today
For by Your Stripes I’m healed
I confess that I will not be stressed, oppressed, or depressed
Because You’re keeping me in perfect peace as my mind is stayed on Thee
I confess that there shall be no lack in my life today
For my God shall supply all my need according to His Riches in Glory by Christ Jesus
Thank You that all things are working together for my good
And that You always cause me to triumph
This is the day that you have made
I will rejoice and be glad in it
In Jesus, Name, amen
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